A Tale of Adventures
by ZylerZodiac
Summary: (SYOC Open) Among the city of adventurers, surrounding the Dungeon and the Tower of Babel, exists more then one adventurer, one familia, that can take the spotlight. The city is full of fame and infamy, and many Familias. This is a story of other characters, of a boy, who is destined to become a great adventurer and adventure with his friends, family, and those who feel for him.
1. Chapter 1: Opening

_"So you want to be a hero huh?"_

"GROOOOOOOOAAAAR!"

_Those words, those simple words, changed my life forever._

Huge pounding could be heard across the halls of the Dungeon, as well as the footsteps of a young adventurer.

_But this is not any tale you know, I know, or is written. Not truly. Because...I am different..._

A young white haired boy, with a very short shortspear ran down the hall. He had to run, and run, and run as the large unknown creature chased after him. It looked like a kobold, but kobolds were not that large. Or terrifying. Or could breath fire. It was a mutant.

"You have got to be kidding me!" the boy shouted, as lightning surrounded his hand. "Zap!"

He fired off a spell, but it barely did any damage. It was the one magical spell he had, but it was shrugged off like it was nothing.

_"And remember one more thing...in the dungeon, Yuma...it is in the dungeon where you will find friends...and girls!" How about you give me advice to deal with large monsters that are more powerful then me next time?!_

This is not a story about Bell Cranel, for he is not the only adventurer in this world with stories. With adventures. With a destiny. Others exist as well...and soon, a group of them may find themselves called together in order to deal with new adventurers, new threats, new wonders. But that is only if they can survive.

This is a story about a lonely, shy boy with a big heart, and everyone who he meets and befriends along the way.

"Ahhhh! Save me!"

Provided he can survive the abnormal kobold, anyways.

* * *

Alright everyone! As far as I can tell, this is the first ever DanMachi SYOC here on Fanfiction! So lets get this started!

First off, some ground rules. Please avoid mentioning in your submitted character's backstory the Hestia Familia, Loki Familia, or any other Familia that is frequently mentioned in all the canon. I will give leeway on the Freya Familia though, if you want to mention them, but keep in mind Freya is not the type to release anyone who has joined her, nor would anyone ask that, so dont make your character actually in/from the Familia. Ishtar should be fine though, since they are not really in the main story.

Avoid mentioning main canon characters, or those that just show up a lot. At least directly, though its okay to go off of rumor and gossip.

Dont make any characters that are too powerful. They should all be Level 1s or 2s for the purpose of storytelling.

Since I plan to introduce each character over time, dont get worried if you dont see yours show up immediately.

Remember that I am the writer, so I will use the characters to best fit the story based on how I see it should be done. Though if you have suggestions or ideas, feel free to ask them because I am open to new ideas.

I likely wont go into too much detail of their stats, for sanity's sake.

This is mostly T. I dont think it will slip into M really, but be warned of that going in.

And now, for the Character Sheet!

Name:

Age: (Nothing too old, and obviously nothing that's overly young either)

Race:

Appearance:

Physical Details: (Height, Weight, ect)

Stats: (Just put a letter grade, I believe it goes from I being the lowest to SS being the highest, though I think SS only happened to Bell, so maybe just S)

Weapons/Fighting Style:

Equipment:

Skills (Blessing Version):

Magic:

History:

Personality Traits: (Ex: Determined, Stubborn, Intelligent, Silly, Humorous, stupid, ect)

Likes:

Dislikes:

Fears:

Secrets:

Other:

* * *

Name: Yuma

Nicknames: Yu, Boya, Lil Pumpkin, Shortest Rookie

Age: 14

Race: Pallem

Appearance: A short young boy with white hair and red eyes, his eyes shine brightly whenever he uses magic. He looks scrawny and adorable, but his eyes can display a fierceness that can surprise many. Although he himself does not realize it, nor do most people at first glance, he is actually adorable and attractive and has a natural charisma. This is offset by his unknown status however.

His adventuring gear is an orange vest with a hood that is made of a sturdy and durable material, a white t shirt made of the same material, durable pants with plenty of pockets, and thick boots to enhance the power of his kicks.

His casual clothes is just a white T shirt, shorts, and maybe the orange vest still. It was a gift from a kind person from the orphanage, so he often wears it both in battle and casually.

Physical Details: 139cm tall, 94 lbs.

Stats: Strength H, Endurance G, Agility F, Dexterity H, Magic G

Weapons/Fighting Style: A very short shortspear with lengthened blades, he tends to use it as if it were a staff or a sword rather then just piercing everything. He also is heavily trained in unarmed combat, to the point that he can even disarm adventurers a level higher then him, maybe two levels if he catches them off guard, and has powerful attacks. His fighting style is a compilation of his own techniques and self taught.

Equipment: His Shortspear, light armor, adventuring bag, backup knife.

Skills (Blessing Version): None Currently.

Magic: Zap, Quickcast Magic. Can be charged up for increased power. Received after he was struck by lightning as a boy.

History: Yuma is an orphan, abandoned in this city in the middle of the night by his parents. He grew up at the orphanage with his best friend and partner in crime, a girl who he shared a room with. Although he is nervous and shy around others, they have shared everything, including baths and a bed, since they were little.

When they both turned of age (by the Orphanage standards since their real ages were unknown), they both quickly looked for work as adventurers. However, for a long time no one accepted a bunch of street rats like them into Familias, and having reached the age of fourteen, they could not go back to the orphanage. It was rough for awhile, until finally they came across one small Goddess, who was looking for new members of her familia...or rather, her very first Familia members.

Despite the fact they are close, and give off a brother/sister vibe, they dont always party together, partially to help them become better fighters by going independently at times.

Familia: Ruona Familia

Opinion of Deity: Although Yuma has great respect for Ruona as a goddess, he is often embarrassed by her antics. She is a god of play, children, and mischief, but also seems to have secretly developed a rather extensive intelligence network in the city. However, she also loves to mess with and harass her familia members at home seemingly without any remorse or boundaries sometimes. She is good at her core though, which can be easy to see if you look past her eccentricities.

Personality Traits: Shy, brave, strong willed, a bit bashful.

Likes: Adventuring, being a hero, friends.

Dislikes: Brutish people, particularly those who push him and others around, being looked down upon, his birth parents.

Fears: Being abandoned, losing a friend, not being good enough.

Secrets: Dreams of being a great hero, but is not afraid to fight dirty if he needs to. Often acts like a kid in various ways.

Other: Cries easily.

* * *

Additional Notes:

If someone wants to make Yuma's friend from the orphanage, I left her open for someone to create. She just needs to be a close friend to Yuma, have grown up in an orphanage, and be the seemingly tougher one of the two.

You have to fill out all the categories in the sheet, with the exception of Other. They must have secrets that I can play upon for the plot.

Be creative!


	2. Chapter 2: Beginnings

**Chapter 2: Beginnings**

"Ummmuuuu….is it morning yet..." Yuma groaned, as he felt a force press down against his body while the sun shined into the room. At first, he was so groggy he could not realize what it was...until he heard the voice of his goddess.

"Aww...what an adorable little child..."

Among the force, he also felt a chill, causing him to finally open his eyes and see that as he was laying naked in bed, his goddess was clinging onto him. His face immediately turned red as his eyes widened with embarrassment.

"G-G-G-Goddess!" he exclaimed, embarrassed to no end. Despite this not being the first occurance of the matter.

"Ahh...good morning, Yuma!"

"Goddess! Why are you...you...you know?!"

"Because you make a really great pillow?" she said with a playful smile.

"Goddess!"

"Right, right! I suppose it is breakfast time!" she said, as she hopped off the bed and headed towards the kitchen. Yuma's face was still a bit red, but he sighed with relief and went into the armory. One could call it the dressing room, where various clothes and such were stored, or basically a walk in dresser or wardrobe, but weapons and armor were also stored within. As little as they actually had.

As he walked in, he was greeted by a familiar face who was just as naked as he was. However, unlike with his goddess, he was not embarrassed at all, and sat on the bench in the middle of the room back to back with her. Although, there was an interesting note of her having horns on her head, though if she adjusted her hair they could go unnoticed unless one looked closely.

"You could have warned me, or you know, woken me up Delilah".

"Yeeah, but last time it was me, so its only fair".

"Pretty sure she goes for me more though".

"Not sure about that".

"Right, anyways...so what is the plan for today?"

"Dungeon. You take left, I take right?"

"Meet at the stairs and hit the second floor?"

"That's right".

"Speaking of which, you hear about that crazy minotaur incident?"

"Oh yeah...that sounded crazy".

Yuma and Delilah continued to talk as they got dressed and geared up.

"Make sure you dont die!"

"You better not die either!"

With that said, the two lifelong friends set out on their own routes towards the goal. Little did anyone know...what was going to start on that day.

* * *

Meanwhile, a woman stared out over the vastness of the city. It was massive in size, with all sorts of different buildings. And it was full of hidden secrets, dangers, and whatnot.

"Looks like it is time to get started" she muttered, with a smile on her face that seemed anything put innocent. She kept her cloak up, and remained hidden from view.

* * *

And so, Yuma ran throughout the city and enjoyed the fresh air as he made his way to the dungeon.

There were a few people out who gave him a suspicious glare, while others turned their nose up at him. That was only natural, though. After all, he was Yuma the Beggar, Yuma the Orphan. A lot of people just assumed he was a thief, or some brat, or just heard a rumor that he was bad luck.

He was also known as Sparky, thanks to the early appearance of his magic. It was not very powerful, but it only took a bit of energy and could be cast quickly. He was a dual edged spear user, though rather then doing a forceful penetrating poke, he treated his spear more like a staff or a sword, slashing things up and beating them back.

Either way, given Yuma's quick development of magic, usually he would be considered a prize, but again there were various rumors and judgements. Not to mention he was a Pallum, a race that was considered one of the weakest. Even though one led one of the most powerful familias in Oracio, Pallums were generally considered weak, often at the bottom of the food chain.

Still, some people were nice to him.

"Good morning, Yuma! I think I saw your friend pass by earlier".

"Tsk...I am behind already? And good morning also!"

"Haha. That's the spirit. I remember when you used to stutter every time I greeted you".

"I-I did not!" Yuma said, embarrassed as he kept heading towards the dungeon.

"Take care! Remember not to get into too much trouble! Help my child out if you see her!"

And so, he kept on running all the way to the dungeon.

And then...we reached our current situation...

"Why is there a crazy powerful kobold running around!?" Yuma pleaded as a fireball exploded behind him, sending him sprawling as tears ran down his face. He quickly got on all fours, and kept going forward. His small stature made it a bit easier for him to do this, eventually just turning into a normal run as it continued to rampage. For some reason, it was dead set on getting him. For some reason, it was as if it had gone totally insane and locked his sight on only him. Yuma had never seen a monster chase him this stubbornly across the Dungeon. "Zap!"

He shocked it again, but that only seemed to irritate it further.

"Seriously?! Is this thing invulnerable or something?!"

"GRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRR!"

"COME ON! AT LEAST LET ME OUT RUN THIS THING THEN!"

It seemed that things were just not going well for him. Then again, it seemed like he often had all sorts of bad luck.

"WHERE IS EVERYONE ELSE!" he shouted, as he kept running. And yet, around the corner came a group of goblins that made him cry even more as he ran.

And then, that was when it happened. Two people walked past, one of them rushing past and driving the Kobold far back, and the other slaying all the Goblins in an instant. Their level of strength...it was not someone who you would normally expect to find this high up in a Dungeon. Not in a party of two.

"Are you okay?"

Yuma sniffled a little as he wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded. That was when she looked down, and offered him a large cloak. At first, he was confused...until he looked down and saw that the Kobold had decimated his lower armor, leaving him completely exposed down there. He quickly grabbed the cloak and covered up, extremely embarrassed. So embarrassed, that the moment he heard "You deal with the half naked kid" from behind, his face went red and his fight or flight instinct rose up, and he ran away crying.

"...you should be more careful with what you say, you know?"

"Ah, sorry. Erm….at least he is healthy enough to run away that quickly?"

And so, another sigh was released.

Meanwhile, after calming down and running out of the dungeon, Yuma eventually headed home and got some new clothes, before heading out again. He was filled with energy and curiosity, and wanted to learn something. So, he got dressed in his casual clothes and decided to adventure around town, just barely ducking as a ball was kicked with such force and nearly hit him in the head.

"Ah, sorry sorry!" a boy younger then him called out as he retrieved the ball. "Just practicing".

And so, Yuma ran off, unaware of the watchful eyes upon him. Although he could be a bit of a crybaby at times, he had this infectious cheerful spirit, as if he was still a little kid and not just a Pallum that looked like one.

And so, he ran down the streets and towards the closest guild building, to speak with his advisor.

As he entered, since it was in the afternoon already, he noticed there were not as many people. The busiest time was usually the morning, when people came to check on notices and take quests and gather the latest news. Afternoon could also be busy as well, but not as much as morning since everyone had already gathered for rumors and news, and not everyone had a successful day where they decided to return to the guild with their meager spoils.

"Ah! Miss Allia!"

Allia was his Guild Advisor, and was an average sized twenty year old human female. She had a lean and beautiful figure, and was always very helpful to the adventurers she tutored. Rumor has it she used to be in a familia, but apparently something happened to them that caused them to disband, or something like that.

"Ah! Lil' Yuma!"

At those words, he froze up a bit and stumbled. "L-lil?! Miss Allia, that's embarrassing to call me like that".

"Ah, sorry sorry. I am glad to see you were okay today after entering the dungeon" she said, as she came over to him and knelt down, whispering something into his ear. "And I heard your pants got incinerated too".

"Ehh….ehh! Miss Allia, please dont say things like that!"

"Sorry sorry, you are just fun to tease".

"Muuuu….anyways, I was wondering if you could..."

Before he could finish his words, there was a large commotion that started nearby. Some Amazon woman, and an older Renard boy, both seemed to be argueing with each other. In the meantime, he got pushed into by a human who wanted to watch, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Ow..."

"You okay, Yuma?"

"Yeah...it seems a bit chaotic here, maybe we should talk more tomorrow..."

"Sure...oh, and maybe you should check out that one tavern I recommended".

"THe Hostess of Fertility right?"

"Yeah".

"Hmm...I think I know a shortcut of how to get there...anyways, see you tomorrow!"

And with those words, he ran off.

* * *

"By my name, I invoke my power...the power of Eris" the woman whispered into a few of the seeds, as she threw them out into the wind. "Now, grow my beauties...grow".

* * *

"It should be just around this way..." Yuma said, as he turned a corner into a back alley when he saw something strange. There was this strange growth or shell or chrysalis or something, right in the middle of an alley. At first, he thought it might be just an animal...but then, it started to grow larger and larger right in front of him. Almost immediately, he took out his weapon that he had carried with him at the same moment it broke open, and lunged at him.

"A monster outside the dungeon?!" he said in shock, defending himself as the strange creature attacked him. If a Goblin had a pet, this thing would probably be it. It was smaller then him, at least a third his size, but...it was still growing!

It lunged at him once more, but Yuma defended himself quickly, even cutting off its arm. And yet, it quickly regrew that very same arm, though it stopped growing in that moment.

"Ahh...Zap!"

In that instant, he cast his spell and shot a lightning bolt at it. It hit, and seemed to hurt it...not to mention it stopped growing again.

"So if I injure it...its stops growing to heal? Then, I just have to damage it faster then it can heal!"

Yuma quickly came to a plan, and attacked with his spear at the same time as casting Zap, chaining attacks repeatedly.

Zap and Slash. Zap and Slash. As he fought, the figure who had released the seeds, Eris, took notice of him.

"Well now...who do we have here..." she muttered, her eyes full of interest and attention.

And it was at that same moment, as Yuma started to cast Zap while holding his spear, that in that instant his spear was electrified and the two attacked combined together into a powerful attack, finishing off the creature in that blow.

She couldn't help but lick her lips at that, becoming much more interested. She had expected other, high leveled adventurers to have to take care of it. But based on what she saw, the boy couldn't be anything but a Level 1. However...clearly, he possessed something that made him exceptional. An unknown quandry, a chaotic factor...something that Eris loved.

After all, she was a Goddess.

Yuma could finally catch a breath of relief...at least, that was what he thought, until he heard a scream around the corner. He rushed forward, and saw a child, a young boy, being cornered by a much larger version then what he just fought. Unlike that one, this one had not been damaged at all and so had time to grow. He could sense it, it was far more dangerous and imposing then the last one he fought.

This fear petrified him...but...but...

_No...how can I ever become an adventurer if I dont try to be a hero like the two who saved me!_

* * *

Ruona was looking through some documents she had "stumbled upon" during her usual activities, when she felt something. All Gods and GOddesses had some connection to their children, though it was fairly rare for them to sense something about them at range. They could all sense when one of their children had died, and occasionally they could sense other things like desperation, or other things when they did not have as many children in their familia. Which was likely why Ruona could sense it, right now. Something stirring inside of Yuma.

Plus, of course, her specialty was the ability to gleam, discover, gather, and make use of intelligence, among other things.

* * *

Yuma charged forward, despite the odds, despite the risk, despite being a level 1.

"ZAP!" he shouted, bringing forth a far more powerful lightning bolt then usual. It was so great, the sparks could be seen by a few people in the surroundings. He swung his spear around, stabbing through the creature and pinning him to the wall. Then, as if it was a lightning rod, he used Zap a few more times to injure it. However, it managed to kick off the wall and get the spear loose, getting off of it and going to consume the boy. Yuma however ran forward while casting Zap, moving so quickly that in a flash, he was in front of it and kicked it with charged lightning kick. "ZAP ZAP ZAP!"

It jumped all around, jumping behind him and knocking into his back. He went sprawling, getting himself covered in dirt, before it went back to eat the boy. Yuma picked up the lid of a trashcan that was in the alley, and threw it while casting Zap. At this point he was not even conscious of what he was doing, but he electrified the lid as it knocked into the creature and doing a large amount of damage. It started to get really active though, pouncing around the alley at rapid speeds, faster then Yuma could keep track of.

_It wants the boy...the boy is its food...kill the boy...kill its food..._

_No no...dont think that...instead...anticipate..._

_The boy...the boy...kill the boy..._

_The boy is the key..._

He opened his eyes, and threw his spear forward right at the boy. The boy's eyes were filled with fear...right as the creature leapt in front of the spear, the collision changing the trajectory and causing it to impact the wall next to the boy's head by less then a foot, with the dead creature on it.

"Sorry if I scared you...are you okay?"

"That...that was amazing! You are like a really cool hero!"

"Ahahaha...thanks!"

"Though...you might want to stop crying since you won".

Yuma had not even noticed that in that tense situation, he started to cry, but he wiped them away none the less.

* * *

The Goddess Eris watched as the boy, Yuma, brought the other boy out of the alley and back towards the general streets.

"That was great...he ruined my plan...but he was also so great...those movements...those actions...that gleam in his eyes...I want him all for myself. I will make him my treasure, my champion, and my...masterpiece! I will have him!"

* * *

"So...I hear you two had an eventful day..." Ruona mentioned as she walked in on Yuma and Delilah as they were changing out of their now bloodstained clothes and gear.

"Goddess!" he said, covering himself up. "D-dont just barge in!"

"Relax!" she said, grabbing them both over and taking them to the bed. "Lets just save some time and update your Falna now before you get dressed!"

She said that, and pulled Delilah onto the bed first, putting her on her back and sitting on top as she did the blessing. She saw all sorts of stat increases, an alarmingly large amount actually, which showed her natural skill and ability, and maybe something else. Of course, they had already been a familia for several months now, but still.

And then, once that was done, she had Yuma get on the bed, and she did his Falna next. And from what she saw...all sorts of ability scores appeared. In truth, Delilah had been excelling far more compared to him usually, but today...his ability scores were shooting up like crazy. Magic increased a whole twenty two points, way more then a level one should be able to level. His agility, dexterity, also shot up. Even his strength and endurance went up a little.

This was a growth that helped him close the gap to Delilah rather quickly.

However, something else appeared on his back. Delilah almost spoke up, but Ruona quickly looked at her and put a finger on her mouth.

"Eh? What is with you moving around? Did something happen?"

"No no, nothing happened" she said, as she copied his Status onto a paper and gave it to him.

"Ehh...wait, what is this at the bottom? A skill?!"

"Ah, no...sorry, I accidentally slipped".

"Awww..."

"Right, well, you should go and change" she said, pushing Yuma out of the room and into the changing room quickly, before turning to Delilah with the real version of the paper.

Heroic Heart: The desire to be a hero. Growth Boost in relation to one's desire to be a hero. The stronger the desire, the stronger the boost. Cannot be charmed or forced into slumber. Allies will also experience a growth for their own heroics.

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"Simple! Perception affects growth too! What if he learns about this, and then questions his own desire thanks to knowing? Its better for him not to know. Then he wont question his desire, which means he will remain pure and true to his desire, which means he will grow faster. Not to mention, you really think that boy can keep a secret? With one or two exceptions, that boy is as open as a book. And then people will want to take advantage of him for that skill. You saw what it said at the end".

"I see...alright then. We can't tell him" Delilah said, walking into the changing room to get into clean clothes with him.

* * *

And so, a new adventure had begun in the shadow of the Tower of Babel.


	3. Chapter 3: New Growth

**Chapter 3: New Growth**

"Zap!" Yuma cast again, taking down yet another monster. He did not know why, but after the incident a few days ago, his whole body seemed lighter. The Goddess mentioned something about maybe being a growth spurt, or that all of the experience he gained from dealing with a high level enemy had boosted his abilities by a lot. After all, taking on tougher enemies would promote faster growth. After all, after that incident, his magic, his agility, both had shot up through the roof.

At the same time, he swung his spear around and got two monsters at once. He had been training to do that move for weeks now, but it seemed his body was finally able to do it properly in battle.

At this rate, he would be stronger, faster, and a Level 2 in no time. Well, he had already been a level 1 for a few months now, so he was not going to beat the record recently set by that one adventurer, but still...he was surely making some progress. Surely!

He took down way more enemies then he used to, and collected all of their magic stones. Still, the Dungeon seemed a bit different today. It was as if there were more monsters then usual, or at least more spawning then usual. Was it a reaction to his increase in ability and killing more monsters then usual? Was the dungeon sentient or something, understanding this fact?

Either way, he decided to call it at this point. He was not sure what time it was on the outside, but he had been in such a rush he was not sure how much time had passed.

His stats were growing a lot recently, and he wanted to take advantage of it.

And so, as he left, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. It was already dark, but it seemed like a few people were carrying large cargo out. Apparently some haul of an expedition or something, they were returning late. Still, a few of them were mumbling, and in his interest, he accidentally lost attention and walked right into a pillar, falling down on his butt and drawing their attention.

"Ahh...sorry, don't let me disturb you" he said, a bit embarrassed as he got up. "Just was doing some late night dungeoning myself. Have a good night!"

And with those words, he ran off.

* * *

Later that night, after her two familia members had gone to sleep, rather then what she usually did and cling to their naked bodies and treating them like pillows, she was managing the store. It was a simple pawn shop, that also happened to serve some food and drink.

Or at least, that was the cover story. Ruona was the Goddess of Play, Children, and Mischief. But, that was just her official title.

"Well now, if it isn't my favorite girl" a voice came in as a blonde haired man entered the shop, and approached her, reaching out.

"Take one more step, and I will open the trap door...Hermes" Ruona mentioned, a wicked smile on her face.

This was her Truth. She was also the Goddess of Spycraft and Intelligence Gathering. As Hermes stood there, a young boy, likely an orphan, ran in and delivered to her a note and a package, before running off once more.

"If you are worried about coinfidentiality…"

"...I know, I dont need to bother. None of your spies would ever admit I was here, or give anyone up. You have their eternal loyalty, and unlike certain barbarians, its not through fear".

Naturally, any decent spy would never advertise their true nature or profession. Very few people knew the truth about her, and those that did know better then to give her up.

"So, how is _that_ child anyways?" Ruona asked curiously.

"I think you know fully well about his condition. Even if I cant even spot them all the time, I am sure they are there. But, I am more curious about yourself. I heard a rumor that you finally went and started your own familia. I wonder...by any chance, is this the true reason I was called here?"

Ruona smiled as she sipped some tea.

"You seem to know things as well".

"Well, as you know, I had a lot of sources myself, looking for children who experienced rapid growth...including yourself".

"If you are worried if you got the right one...if my information that I gave you for him is accurate, it was. Yuma...Yuma is different, I know of his Truth...but I was surprised to see THAT skill manifest".

"So if he is not connected to that person...then how did he get that skill".

Ruona pulled him in closer, and then whispered something into his ear.

"...are you serious?" Hermes said. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I am" she said, as she looked out into the horizon. "The issue is how, why, what, where, and who. I know the when, roughly. But, we have many whos. Who were his parents. Who brought him to that orphanage. Who is responsible. So, I am calling in that favor you owe me. I helped you find the boy, so you will help me learn the truth about my own".

"Very well...I suppose its in my own interest as well to learn anyways" he mentioned. "But just be careful. With all of the recent events, the Evils are on the move as well. I will never tell a soul, but...you know how some dieties will be".

"Of course you wont, Her-_kyun_" Ruona replied. "After all, what I lack in raw power, I make up for in knowledge".

Hermes felt a shiver go down his spine, as he left the small shop. With him gone, Ruona was finally able to relax.

"I think tonight, I will snuggle with both of them".

* * *

The next day, Yuma went to buy a map of the next dungeon floor he planned to explore from the guild building near his place, however...a scene that he had seen before has broken out in the guild hall. Two fairly well known adventurers in the region, although what they were well known for was...well, argueing with each other.

"How about you just admit you are wrong and then shut up, you stupid wolf!" the Renard, Jack Masaki, shouted at the werewolf in front of him.

"Sounds like you cant take a joke, you damn fox!" the Werewolf, Rem Lupus, shouted back. These two didn't really seem to get along much, mostly from their personalities. Rem Lupus was someone who loved to tease, make fun, and joke around with people, while Jack Masaki absolutely hated it when he was teased and such.

And, in the middle of their fight, the two grabbed each other and tried to, at best guess, push each other down. However, in the process, they both struggled around and ended up pushing Yuma down instead, leaving no serious injury but hurting quite a bit.

"Owww! Don't be so mean!" he said, already crying a little. That said, this did finally get them to stop, and make sure Yuma was okay. This was also a scene that occurred a lot there. After all, it was almost like Yuma had perpetual bad luck. A lot of times this happened, it happened while he was walking in, and somehow their fight would end up hurting him or injuring him in some way. It was almost like a curse.

Either way, as they helped him up, both of them were pushed out of the way by Miss Allia who then hugged him tightly.

"You are okay right?!"

"Yes yes, I am fine...I don't suppose you have the map ready for me?"

"Sheesh...it would be easier to tell if you are fine if you would stop crying all the time".

"I-I dont cry all the time!" he replied, heavily embarrassed.

"Aww, lil Yuma...keep telling yourself that".

"That's mean!"

With that little ritual over, she proceeded to hand him the map he had paid for.

"Just, be careful okay? We have heard some rumors of adventurers disappearing lately, and we don't know what has been happening to them. So please try to be safe, got it? Not to mention, monster and dangerous resource smuggling has been on the rise".

"Un. Ill do my best!"

And so, with the map, he ran out the door.

"And please, try to form a party soon!"

* * *

Outside the dungeon, there were all sorts of people moving and walking around, some looking for parties, and others who were looking for work as supporters. And then, as is sometimes seen, there were those who were interested in other things.

"Come on sweetie, how about following us? I promise we would show you a really good time in our party".

"Yeah, we would be able to thoroughly support you and assist you".

"After all, it would be really great to have the nice company of an elf girl like yourself".

"Leave me alone. I have no interest in people like yourself" the elf girl, Karla Auberdine, replied as she walked away with them. She was used to it. They didn't really like her, they just wanted to use her. Seemed like a common story for any female elf. However, that was when one of them tried to grab her.

"Hold on sweetie, you shouldn't just go rejecting us like that".

She immediately slapped away his hand, but before he could do anything else...something much stranger occurred.

"Ahhh!" a young boy's voice screamed as someone who had been running tripped, and came barreling in and knocked all three men to the ground. The three who were caught off guard seemed to lay there in a daze, while the boy stood up and dusted himself off. When he looked back and noticed what he did, he looked in shock. "Oh no! I am really really sorry!"

He then turned to her as well, and bowed his head.

"I am very very sorry" he said. At first, she thought he might be pretending, but then she noticed he was crying a little...for something like this? And sniffling?

"Its...fine. Why are you crying?"

"Ah...ah?" he said, clearly unaware of it. "Sorry, I guess I just have kinda been unlucky to be around...wow, you look really pretty. Especially your eyes".

She was almost shocked at his words, as well as his apparent honesty. When approached, usually people had looks of scorn or lust in their eyes. But he...all he was being was honest. However, as they stood there, she noticed that there were various people looking at them, or more likely, her.

"By the way...you were in a hurry, so shouldn't you get moving?" she suggested to him.

"Ah, right! Thanks! And sorry again!" he replied, before running off. As she turned back though, she couldn't help but notice...that some of the scornful looks in the crowd had still ended up following the boy after all...

_...he wasn't kidding about being unlucky..._

That was when she realized, she had not gotten his name...

* * *

Inside the dungeon, he was now exploring the next floor. This was an entirely new floor to him, and even though it didn't look much different, his heart still fluttered with excitement and cheer.

He cut through and electrocuted anything and everything in his way, but still...even if there was only a difference of one floor, it felt new, with its own unique twists and challenges.

He did hear some movement nearby though, and to avoid running into another party and causing trouble, he decided to move further away. However...that was when he heard someone scream. He quickly ran towards that direction, to investigate and make sure they were okay.

However, as he turned the corner, all he saw were some guys who looked okay, and some more boxes. Some of them seemed quite large, and he wondered if they were capturing monsters or something for the next Monsterphillia. It seemed possible.

Either way, it didn't look like anyone needed help. He decided to leave without interrupting them, though he wondered who had screamed then? Maybe, a monster they subdued had woken up or something and startled them?

That said, he quickly looked back, but saw no one following him. Which was weird, because for a moment, he was sure he felt someone watching him. Perhaps it was just his imagination though, so he decided to move on and head towards the rest of the dungeon.

* * *

"...you think that brat saw something?"

"We should consider the possibility".

"He is far too much of a risk to ignore..."

"...maybe...but maybe we could also find a way to make use of him".

And so, in the shadows, dark forces had begun to move...


End file.
